Hopes rebound with fall wheat planting

Friday

Sep 6, 2013 at 8:00 AM

Hope springs eternal, as farmers across the High Plains return to the fields with their drills to plant wheat, after scattered summer rains brought some relief from what has turned into a crippling and long-lived drought.

By Candace KrebsContributing Writer

FORT COLLINS, Colo. — Hope springs eternal, as farmers across the High Plains return to the fields with their drills to plant wheat, after scattered summer rains brought some relief from what has turned into a crippling and long-lived drought.

An extremely short wheat crop this summer coupled with high demand this fall is putting the crimp on seed supplies in some areas.

"We are expecting to see record wheat acres planted since Freedom to Farm was adopted in 1996," said Glenda Mostek, communications and marketing director for the Colorado Wheat association. "Last year, we had our record lowest harvested acres. So it's a little bit of a perfect storm."

Colorado farmers abandoned 750,000 acres of wheat this year, about seven times more than normal, and many grain elevators in southeastern Colorado took in a small fraction of their normal inventory.

"Some guys were in a situation where they didn't harvest any wheat the year before that," Mostek added. "That's really what made it tight is they didn't have any seed in storage."

Unless farmers planted millet this summer — a crop that can grow with very little water for harvest in September — their ground in many places is bare and due for another planting in order to qualify for continued coverage under federal crop insurance.

"Everyone wants to see something green growing out here again," said Cathy Scherler, of Sheridan Lake, Colo., who with her husband, Burl, owns and operates a seed business. "It's looking more encouraging at this point. The only problem is our subsoil moisture: we don't have any." After experiencing the worst drought in half a century, they're uncertain about what to expect next.

"We've been here since 1972. That's 41 years, and in all that time, if you got some wheat in during the fall, you would harvest something, unless the hail got it," Scherler said. "This year broke that theory for us."

After producing only about 20 percent of their normal wheat seed, the Scherlers were forced to bring in more seed from other dealers in northeastern Colorado and the Front Range near Denver. They've been adding a dollar a bushel to the price to cover the added cost.

"As far as seed production, we don't have enough to fulfill our customers' desires," Cathy said. "But we're doing all we can to help our customers out."

Rick Novak, director of seed programs for Colorado State University and manager of the Colorado Seed Growers Association, said cooperation within the industry was one of the bright spots to emerge during a dark time.

"The seed dealers are interacting with their counterparts to alleviate the situation. They are stepping up and working together to serve their customers' needs," Novak said. "They are doing more networking out-of-state and even within the state. Twenty years ago, without the communication technology we have today, that wouldn't have happened as easily. That's what saved the day for the local farmer."

In addition, some wheat growers certified more of their acreage this year for seed production, as awareness about the potential for shortages grew.

Seed supplies shorter by the day

Still, farmers might not always get their first choice of variety and might have to pay a little more for seed in drought-stricken areas. "It isn't a huge cost, but it is another added cost," Novak said of the transportation involved.

He compared it to cow-calf producers in the region who suffered through prolonged shortages of rangeland and feed and are still paying the added transportation to bring in hay. "It's not a good situation," he said. Forward-looking wheat producers who planned ahead, however, reaped the reward of having a wider selection of varieties.

"The farmers who have been more proactive have been able to acquire the varieties they want," Novak said. "As each day goes by, seed supplies dwindle a little bit more, locally and also regionally."

Mostek said the most pronounced shortage was for the newest version of herbicide-tolerant Clearfield wheat, Brawl CL-Plus, marketed by the Colorado Wheat Research Foundation. Last year's trying weather conditions caused "an epidemic of grassy weeds" and the Clearfield technology can be used to help clean up fields, she said.

Scherler confirmed the weed problem was on many minds. "We can't grow wheat but we can grow kochia," she said. "Things are green now, but a lot of that is weeds."

While farmers in general are "cautiously optimistic" about the winter growing season ahead, Mostek said her crystal ball came in the form of updates from popular meteorologist Brian Bledsoe of Colorado Springs, whose analysis is distributed to Colorado Wheat members. The weather forecaster remains cautious about how much drought recovery to expect. "He's still predicting long term we'll have lower-than-average moisture," Mostek said.

That deviates slightly from the Farmers Almanac, which predicts a colder-than-average winter with average precipitation levels. With winter looming just weeks away, farmers were quick to seize the remaining warm summer days to finish fieldwork and start planting as September began.

"When it's dry, they will plant on the early side, because they're worried about getting the seed germinated and the stand established," Novak said. "That improves the chances of survival through the wintertime. Ideally, you want wheat planted for 3 to 4 weeks of good growth on it before winter hits. And if you're running short on moisture, you plant a little bit earlier."